On a wild evening, where multiple reports suggested that Tennessee would be playing West Virginia in the Liberty bowl, the SEC finally announced that Tennessee will play Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl on January 2 at 3:20 PM ET.
The TaxSlayer Bowl is the new name for the bowl formerly known as the Gator Bowl. It will be the Vols’ sixth appearance in the bowl, with their last appearance coming in 1994.
Tennessee will be taking on the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Iowa finished the regular season with a 7-5 record. They lost three of their last five games.
The Hawkeyes finished the season 41st in the nation in points allowed per game (24.0) and 71st in the nation in points scored per game (28.3).
A matchup against Iowa is certainly more favorable for the Volunteers than a matchup against West Virginia. The Mountaineers’ offense (specifically their talented wide receivers) would’ve been a matchup nightmare for Tennessee.
All in all, this is a big win for Tennessee. The TaxSlayer bowl is a much more prestigious bowl than the Liberty Bowl. It will certainly attract more national attention, with the game coming the day after New Year’s.